Super Bowl XLIX Prediction

Super Bowl XLIX has finally arrived.  It is Super Bowl Sunday, the nation's greatest unofficial holiday, the day to see what two to five million dollars for 30 seconds gets you, and the day to see if Katy Perry (or anyone else for that matter) will come close to as successful a halftime show as Bruno Mars had last year.  On top of all that, there's a game to be played between the defending Super Bowl champs the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.  The most important question of the day is who will win?  Will Tom Brady and Bill Belichick finally get their elusive fourth Lombardi Trophy, or will they make it zero for their last three attempts and further diminish their Super Bowl legacies?  Will the Seahawks become the first repeat champions since the Patriots last accomplished the feat a decade ago?  Let's break it down and pick the winner.

Why New England can win...

Even without a marquee receiving option or topnotch running game, Tom Brady can lead an offense to greatness.  He won three Super Bowls without an elite receiver to throw the ball to and only won one title with a top rated running back (Super Bowl XXXIX with Corey Dillon).  This time around, Brady has possibly the biggest threat at tight end in Rob Gronkowski to get the ball to, and LeGarrette Blount has the ability to provide a stellar rushing attack-- if he gets out of his own way.  Bill Belichick remains a defensive mastermind by the getting the most out of his players and having them play better than their talent level should allow them to play.  Having said that, the Patriots come into this game with their most talented cornerback tandem ever in Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis.  On the defensive line, Vince Wilfork is once again playing at an All-Pro level and Chandler Jones comes in as the teams best pass-rushing option-- Jones is also looking to join his two brothers in having won championships as older brother Arthur won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and other brother Jon is the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.  At linebacker, Dont'a Hightower has taken reigns from injured Jerod Mayo and has had his best season to date.

Why Seattle can win...

Russell Wilson has proved in only his third season that you can't ever count him out of any game no matter how much he's struggling.  Wilson has a ton of young talent at wide receiver, led by Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse.  Luke Willson has emerged as another option in the passing game.  As long as Mr. "I'm here so I don't get fined" Beast Mode himself, Marshawn Lynch, joins Wilson in the backfield, you can never count out the Seahawks' offense.  No team has better defensive backfield than the Seahawks do with the Legion of Boom.  Even at only about 80% healthy, no two players are better in the secondary than Richard Sherman at cornerback and Earl Thomas at safety.  Michael Bennett leads an underrated defensive line that simply does its job in both stopping the run and putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.  The success of the defensive line means the linebackers don't need to blitz as much and help their stellar secondary in clogging up the passing lanes.

Who wins...

This game is setting up to be a classic between the grizzled veteran who has reached this game a now record six times and the young quarterback who can beat you with both his arm and legs.  A match-up between the best defense in the game and a much-improved, but still overachieving, defense.  In the end, it seems that even not being fully healthy, the Legion of Boom will give Brady and company enough headaches to lead the Patriots into making an unexpected mistake.  While it will a close game, the Seahawks will repeat against the last franchise to do so by a score of 27-24.